Hormonal Therapy: Is it Right For Me?
Hormone therapy is a very common treatment for all kinds of discomforts that women may experience. If you’re enduring…
pain during sex
weight fluctuations
hot flashes
difficulty focusing
vaginal dryness
fatigue
mood swings
low libido
…that may mean you’re going through a hormone imbalance—and you don’t have to keep enduring those symptoms!
How does hormone therapy work?
Hormone imbalance symptoms typically begin around ages 40-50, when women enter a stage called “perimenopause,” meaning “around menopause.” During this time and throughout menopause, women’s bodies naturally produce lower amounts of certain hormones, like estrogen.
Hormone therapy simply replaces that lost amount of hormones in safe, controlled doses. Our practice uses SottoPelle bioidentical hormone replacement pellets, which are tiny pills about the size of a grain of rice. They are made to be inserted just below the surface of the skin, where they dissolve slowly over several months to deliver a low, ongoing dose of hormone to your body.
How will I know the treatment is working?
Hormones are not generally meant to sharply spike or dip. And when they do, our bodies really notice, generally in a bad way. (If you’ve had children, think about the last few weeks of your pregnancy and first few weeks after the birth—those were times when your hormones were yo-yo-ing drastically!)
For that reason, hormone therapy needs several months to slowly change your hormone balance. Some people may notice results in just a few weeks, but many others will need to wait several months. Each pellet can last from 4 to 6 months, so if there needs to be an alteration to your dosage, we’ll do so when the first pellet is fully dissolved.
What makes me eligible for hormone therapy?
As long as your general health is in good shape, hormone therapy is likely an option for you. However, there are a few reasons why we might avoid hormone therapy:
a history of breast, ovarian, or uterine cancer in your family
blood clots and/or heart disease in your personal or family medical history
untreated high blood pressure
In some cases, such as with high blood pressure, we can treat that health issue first. If we’re able to get your blood pressure down to a healthy level, then we can assess how your symptoms are and, if they are still causing discomfort, try out hormone therapy.
In other cases, such as a family history of cancer, the increase in hormones may put you at risk of developing a larger problem. Your provider can assess this risk with you and make recommendations accordingly.
Thousands of women every year will experience hormone imbalances and not even realize it. But the uncomfortable symptoms of a hormone deficiency do not have to be your everyday reality!
Give us a call at (681) 282-5591 or book an appointment to talk to your provider about hormone therapy today.